St. Matthew

Who they were

Matthew, called Levi in two of the Gospels, ran a customs booth at Capernaum collecting for the occupation, which made him a category of person observant neighbours would not eat with. The Gospel scene is four words long. Jesus said follow me, and he got up.

What Matthew did next is the detail preachers love. He threw a dinner party and invited the only friends a tax collector has, other tax collectors, so they could meet the man too. The Gospel bearing his name gave the Church the Sermon on the Mount, the Magi, and the parable of the talents, fittingly the most financially literate of the Gospels. Tradition takes his later preaching east and his death as a martyr.

Why people turn to St. Matthew

Everyone who works with other people's money: accountants, bankers, bookkeepers, advisors, tax preparers. It is the Church's formal designation and it has a point, which is that the money handler was called from the booth rather than after quitting it.

How to ask their intercession

Before the audit, the close, or tax season. And ask his prayers for honesty in small numbers, since his conversion began with an honest ledger of himself.